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Scripture Readings
Psalm 73:1-3, 9-13
"Surely God is good to Israel to those who are pure in heart But as for me, my feet had almost slipped I had nearly lost my foothold for I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked... Their mouths lay claim to heaven and their tongues take possession of the earth Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance They say how would God know does the Most High know anything? This is what the wicked are like always free of care. They go on amassing wealth Surely in vain. I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence"
John 6:60-69
"On hearing it many of his disciples said this is a hard teaching who can accept it Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this Jesus said to them Does this offend you then? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? The Spirit gives life the flesh counts for nothing The words I've spoken to you. They are full of the Spirit and life yet. There are some of you who do not believe For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him He went on to say this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him You do not want to leave to do you Jesus asked the 12 Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God"
This is the word of the Lord.
The Story of St. Augustine
Good morning, everyone. My name is Megan. I'm the senior minister here at Deep Creek Thank you to the amazing team who've been leading us in some really profound worship and Thanks to those prayers and the Bible reading.
I wanted to tell you a story about a young man. We'll just call him "A". He grew up around Christianity and he His mom was really strong in the faith But as he became a young adult He felt that it could not carry the questions that he was asking. The Christianity he had received felt intellectually thin Especially when set against the reality of evil in the world and It didn't seem to help him with the desires that he carried He wanted an account of life that made sense and that did not ask him to do what he could not do So he gravitated towards a way of thinking that promised new clarity.
It had a neat explanation for why there was good and evil in the world It helped him manage his moral unease by framing human failure as something outside him Rather than something inherent within and it felt more honest and more grown-up and he stayed in it despite his mother's pleas and prayers. But after nearly a decade He discovered that this framework did not actually Answer the new questions that arise as you grow older His confidence began to crack when he pushed for deeper answers, he discovered that the explanations were thinner than they appeared and The leaders he admired Were better at rhetoric sounding good Than being good.
What had promised intellectual depth and a way of being in the world? Could not finally sustain the weight Of either his questions or his needs Eventually through a long and uneven process he found himself drawn back Not to the faith of his childhood in its original form But to a deeper more demanding vision of God. He discovered that Christianity was not intellectually fragile after all that scripture could bear serious scrutiny and That grace addressed not only his mind but his desires and his disordered loves. When he finally returned it was not to the certainty of his youth but to a faith that was forged through struggle question humility encounter and Surrender.
Well the story of "A" might be one that feels familiar to you people that you know Maybe yourself a young person deconstructing taking apart their inherited faith resisting and turning away But this story is actually over 1,600 years old it's the story of St. Augustine of Hippo. One of our incredible foundations as we think about Encountering God and theology as he's explored the scriptures and That we have done so with him over the centuries He said oh Lord our hearts are restless Until they find their rest in you.
He didn't return to Christianity by ignoring his doubts but by continuing to question to hunger and then to listen His journey reminds us that what we call deconstruction today isn't a modern invention It's part of a long and faithful Wrestling that has been part of the Christian the Judeo-christian tradition forever.
Defining Deconstruction
So today we are talking in our series on Jesus is good and good for you On Jesus is good for those who are deconstructing their faith. The familiar story of Augustine leads us into this definition of what Deconstruction is if you've been in the media if you've been particularly on social media, you might have heard it that people who grew up as Christians Are starting to unpack the things that they have believed and received and it feels like for them they are unraveling a jumper and For some people they say I unraveled it to the point that there was nothing for me to put on.
It's a crisis sometimes it feels like rebellion or Someone wants to go their own way, but most people didn't choose it Something happened in life That made them realize that the faith that they had couldn't support the questions the experiences or the Disconnection that they saw around them. Certainty started to be stripped back Assumptions began to be questioned and Familiar supports started to feel like they were giving way for some people deconstruction feels like the world is crumbling Its loss its grief even betrayal Their church their family their own mind and heart Have betrayed them because what they believed isn't working.
Those on the outside looking in can feel the same way The world is crumbling Their child their friend their spouse their parent Isn't who they thought they were they can feel loss grief betrayal now Honestly, we long for people who go through this process to reconstruct something, but it's a very unknown uncertain and frightening time and There's no question that It's going to keep happening no matter what you call it to Christians in every age. So it's not the question of whether deconstruction will happen This is Jesus good For those who find themselves in this crisis or for those of us who might be looking on.
1. Jesus Hates Hypocrisy Too
Well, the first good news, I think we can easily say is that Jesus hates hypocrisy too for many people deconstructing their faith comes about just like the psalmist when they see injustice and Particularly when they see people who are claiming the name of God living in a way that does not show love and In fact seems to be using the name of God to become wealthy and powerful.
The psalmist in Psalm 73 says our God is good to Israel. But then when I looked at and my paraphrase those stinkers Who are actually claiming to speak for you and yet clearly are not Clearly living in ways that entirely belie what they're saying with their mouth and yet they're prospering even worse People come to them and drink up their words like water. Those that are deconstructing particularly in the West might be seeing large churches full of people who seem to have the wall pulled over their eyes that their pastor has a private jet and a Great mansion and they don't care The Jesus who said go out and have no, you know second coat and don't take a bag and It seems entirely the opposite that Jesus Shares this deep hatred of hypocrisy.
His most severe judgments are never aimed at Outsiders those on the margins skeptics people with questions His Judgments are for religious leaders whose lives contradict their public piety in Matthew 23. And I loved the passion that some Vanessa's bringing to Matthew I'm like, oh this girl's gonna preach on Matthew one day. So good in Matthew 23 Jesus describes the religious leaders the scribes the Pharisees as whitewashed tombs Looking great on the outside Really slick But on the inside full of dead men's bones Stinkers the problem was their duplicity and often those who start to have questions about Christianity and the church are seeing that and It's right for us to hear their voice.
Jesus is even more forceful when he's addressing harm done to the vulnerable Yes, we might see hypocrisy and people seeming to gain power and prosperity through preaching the Word of God But we also hear of terrible abuse done by Christians Sometimes leaders sometimes not and in Matthew 18 Jesus says it would be better to have a millstone Tied around your neck and thrown into the sea to be drowned than to face the judgment of God because you have caused harm to one of these little ones if your faith if my faith is destabilized when you see hypocrisy and coercion Exclusion and abuse We know it is good news that Jesus does not minimize that harm or Spiritualize it away. He condemns it utterly to hear the voice that highlights Hypocrisy and damage in the church is right and good and it is good news Even though it is hard that Jesus does the same Does the same.
2. Jesus Doesn't Like Easy Answers
Secondly Jesus doesn't like easy answers either Again in Matthew in chapter 5 he does this thing which I think would have been very threatening and it's a little bit It's both deepening and deconstructing at the same time. He says you have heard it said But now I say to you He says this thing that you have read in the Old Testament, you've turned it into a slogan and I want you to know that it is harder and deeper than you imagined You've heard it said don't commit adultery But I won't take hypocrisy. I mean you can't even look at Someone in a lustful way without that being the same thing in God's eyes.
When people come to Jesus with questions, he is not dismissive In Isaiah in the Old Testament the prediction is that the Messiah will be one who doesn't snuff out a Guttering candle, you know when they're sort of on their last legs Or snap a bruised reed and when people come to Jesus with an authentic question even people who Should know he's okay to receive that. John the Baptist's disciples Come to him when John's in prison and and they say John wants to know are you the one? Or should we be expecting someone else and he doesn't go, you know, that's so stupid He's just doing that because he's suffering in prison. He says have a look around Let me highlight to you the things that I'm doing as the Messiah He never pushes away an authentic question. And when there is one that's a trick or a slogan He pushes back he refuses to play games and So he is good news For those who find that an inherited framework of understanding doesn't suffice anymore That they need questions. They want to go deeper or they want to get rid of something.
He allows for wrestling and ambiguity and growth and this is actually part of his DNA as a Jewish man because the Jewish faith Israel is Based on a moment of wrestling. You might know I've said it before my middle name is Penuel and that comes from the Old Testament Genesis 32 a place where Jacob wrestled with God with the Angel of God and he saw God's face and survived and At the end of that wrestling overnight a whole night of wrestling God says you shall no longer be called Jacob But Israel for you have wrestled or striven with God and with humans and prevailed The name Israel the whole name for the people of God means wrestle with God and God will wrestle back with you.
I Think that's part of the relationship that God is calling people to To if there is a Edifice that is built on top of God's words. Let's wrestle about it Is it right is it not if you've got a question if you've got a doubt, let's wrestle with it. Spend the whole night Metaphorical night could be a really long time wrestling with God Because that is what he has called his people to be the wrestlers For those deconstructing their faith. This is good news To Wrestle with God is not stepping outside the relationship but inhabiting it as it was designed The people of God are named after a night of struggle you and I after nights at different times in our lives of Struggle and your friend your loved one your child your parent your sibling your spouse Their wrestling can end With a blessing as well.
3. You Can Find the Bible Hard, but Jesus Compelling
The third piece of good news is you can find the Bible hard, but still find Jesus compelling So in our reading from John chapter 6 The disciples say this is hard teaching who can accept it Now I didn't include what the teaching was, but maybe you can insert teaching here Maybe it's something that seems out of step with how the world sees morals Maybe it's something about the future Jesus promising That he's going to come back. That seems hard to imagine Maybe it's a call to holiness. Maybe it's just something theological. Maybe it's a claim about who he is Well, that's exactly what it was here in John 6.
He's just said these words Very truly I tell you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and Drink his blood you have no life in you whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day Yeah, I can get it. That's hard teaching what I mean He's not standing at the communion table in an Anglican Church where you've all been Kind of shaped to know. Oh, it's a metaphor and the symbols and there's a spiritual he's standing there Amongst them they've they've eaten some bread like it is in your face and The claim about who he is that's inherent in those words in that picture is wild If you don't Entirely bring me into your being you won't have any life in you but if you do Eat my flesh and drink my blood. You'll be raised up on the last day and they're grumbling What?
And he says does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? This is hard teaching but there is much to reality that you haven't seen and It is okay to not be able to understand exactly in the Bible What is going on? What is meant how it all fits together? But still find Jesus compelling still Think ah, yes, but there's spirit and life in these words Jesus says There are some of you who do not believe But it's not everybody who says this is a hard teaching who can accept it There is maybe a subset within that Okay, but the disciples are there the twelve disciples are there saying this is a hard teaching who can accept it some leave But when he asks Simon Peter You want to get out of here, too? He says Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life There is something about you even though it is hard to understand even though I don't know how these things fit together There is something about you that I don't want to be away from.
That's not going to be everybody's experience at every point in a journey of deconstruction But it helps us not to be anxious either for ourselves or for another That if there is something that they don't understand or find hard We don't understand that. I don't understand or I find hard It doesn't mean that I can't move towards or find Jesus himself compelling.
4. Being a Church Not Afraid of Questions
Fourthly the good news we can be a church that isn't afraid of questions push back doubt and crises of faith it's actually part of our current DNA as a Church with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ where to be life-giving to the believer Surprising to the world and strengthening to the weary and doubting.
This Book that I have been reading this is pretty helpful walking through deconstruction by Ian Harbour There's a couple of other reasonable ones. I can't imagine that just giving someone a book is Going to be a great idea, but it's good to read for your own thinking But Ian Harbour says that the challenge in Helping people to navigate deconstruction within a community is the challenge of anxiety. Any sort of system any sort of community group of people family relationship That is very becomes very anxious When things change when people ask questions when there's some sort of friction When there's a crisis any sort whether it's like conservative Progressive anywhere that Questions arise and the temperature goes up That actually is the hardest place for someone to stay and it's more likely to lead to someone Leaving and Cutting off ties saying this is it because Anxiety Locks someone in and locks you in rather than enabling you to maintain relationship and a witness to the God who is Not changed by someone's rejection of him not afraid of questions or push back Not impacted in his goodness by our unfaithfulness or our tears or our rebellion and so Harbour suggests that we have six postures.
Three starting with P three starting with C And he must be a preacher.
- P: Prayer, patience and perseverance
- C: Calm, Curiosity and care
When Augustine was going through his Rebellion deconstruction his adherence to Manichaeism Which was the philosophy that I talked about His mom Invited a priest or went to a priest and said you have to talk to my son Can he get in there and convince him he's wrong, you know, if he only talked to you It does sometimes happen to me that people invite me over to their house for dinner so that I might somehow convince their child or relative or friend of the error of their ways. When I was the chaplain at Ivanhoe girls, there was one grandma who I knew from the past and she rang me up and she said you need to change the day of the Christian group because My granddaughter is going to another group on that day And if you change the day she'll definitely come and I'm like she definitely won't She she won't look me in the eye. She is not she's not on that journey But I know we try and do these things because we love people and We're feeling a crisis ourselves and we're feeling loss and grief and deep anxiety but the the the the priest said to Augustin's mom No, I'm not coming around so if I say that that's why I'm not coming around because you need to pray.
You just need to pray for him. He has He's rejected something that wasn't his and he needs if he's going to find it again it needs to be his and So you pray for him because it is God that does this work you pray for him and you persevere in the relationship and you have patience because If you look at yourself, you know that It's God that does the work in you. But also Harbor calls us to be calm to know that wrestling and questions and crises are Absolutely part of the the life of the people of God That God is still God and he's still good to be curious and What if some of the things that the person is saying are Actually prophetic insights that God wants you or the community to have to face What if there is an edifice that has been built upon the Word of God, which is actually corrupt or crumbling or not fit for purpose and So we're to be curious How does this feel? Why did this happen? What's it like and how can I help and Then ultimately where to care because words Can be really really tough in a situation like this. It's almost impossible to say the right thing So actually just caring for someone with their real needs That they perceive that they have is very important.
5. Ways to Stay Connected When Certainty Has Gone Quiet
So fifthly good news. There are ways to stay connected to God when certainty has gone quiet We're in a tradition that is really into passion and heartfelt faith and So if you're just repeating something that's on a screen we we prayed about it this morning I prayed about it this morning, you know that we wouldn't just go through the motions And coming to prayer and coming to worship Expecting that it's only authentic when you have a passion for it and that is very we want deep heartfelt. Absolutely but Expecting that that is what makes it authentic is going to lead to a lot of heartache because Sometimes it's hard sometimes Sometimes you just that was to you Esther and I didn't even think about it just came out She loves it when I do accents at the front Sometimes you're hungry sometimes You're depressed really depressed Sometimes these questions are weighing on you. Something has come from the outside and you just done And so there are things that you can do that don't require you to have You know a fire in your bones To connect with and to feel spiritually nurtured by God you can:
- You can allow someone else to do some of the work for you just to bring you and take you home
- You can Listen to things instead of saying them or singing them
- You can use more structured Resources like a prayer book Like Even like prayer beads or Lighting a candle that sounds terribly controversial in this space But these things have been fruitful for the people of God Across the world for a really long time because they just give you a foundation and a support and a regularity That doesn't require you to have the the fire
- Sometimes I think it's um, you know try not to use the word triggering too much, but when you have been in a Received tradition and you've got this Bible and it kind of stands for something suddenly It's a symbol of everything that you're questioning Don't use it get a different one get a little Gospel of John and read that
- Have a Bible app that reads to you And do something different change the translation whatever it is because there's weird stuff going on in your mind
This is what we're like. This is human beings psychology in that There are so many things that you can do to remain Spiritually connected in some way that don't require you to dredge up your deepest passions when you ain't got none and.
6. Jesus Doesn't Need Your Certainty to Love You
Finally good news This is it Jesus doesn't need your certainty to love you. He said to people Faith as big as a mustard seed He said to people It's okay Don't be afraid When the mission was given to the disciples the Great Commission says They worshiped Jesus and some doubted but the mission of God proceeded and they weren't Excluded Jesus when we come to take communion says this is the new covenant in my blood and in Jeremiah the difference between the new and the old covenant is Whether it can be broken the new covenant is unbreakable because it's in Jesus blood and So you can be uncertain you can have so many questions.
You can feel like you've got a tiny speck of dust That might be faith holding you to God but The new covenant Means that God has bound himself to his people by his grace that depends on Jesus Not your human consistency Not your passion in your bones You can be fragile you can be full of doubts and the covenant is unbroken Because it is secured not in your faithfulness, but Jesus the covenant of love with you holds Because Jesus holds it.
Deconstruction for your friend or family member or yourself can feel like being cast adrift in the ocean Unsure whether there's ever going to be a safe harbor left and you think I can't return to that same port and Maybe Jesus says to you. I don't want you to the shoreline of my grace of what it means to know me is very long and So if you come back and it doesn't look exactly the same You've still come safely back to the shore our Faith is always about return. It's always about reorientation It's always about the wrestle. The shore is still there and it is wide enough and Enduring enough for all who come Amen
